As the year wraps up, every year I reflect via this blog on my favourite posts from the past year.
January
Is Facebook an Echo Chamber?
A large study was released in January arguing that Facebook helps expose us to more and novel information, but although I love Facebook I discuss how my experience differs from the study's claims.
February
Top 20 Most Important Developments of the Internet
In honour of the Internet Society's 20th anniversary they asked for submissions from the public on what should make it into the Internet Hall of Fame - I offerred my 20 picks from the obvious (ARPANET and hypertext) to the forgotten (GeoCities and Classmates.com).
March
Locative Media and Geosocial Networking - Overview Presentation
I was asked by one of Canada's top mobile carrier to speak to them about geosocial networking. Although I believe apps that focus exclusively on the geosocial networking may not last, embedded geosocial networking and media functionality is changing how we socialize, express, and discover.
(I also guest lectured on this topic to an undergraduate at University of Toronto in February.)
April
Canada's Walk of Fame - Needs Digital Footprints
In response to Canada's Walk of Fame lack of any people in digital media, I offerred my suggestions for some worthy inductees, such as Tim Bray, Garrett Camp, Lorne Abony, and William Gibson.
May
My Fondness and Frustration with foursquare
I was an early evangelist for the first great location-based service, foursquare, in this post I chronicle my love-hate relationship.
June
Putting Facebook and Flickr on the Map
If you look to your right of this blog, you'll see a link to "My Photos". This page combines three of my greatest passions - the Internet, travelling, and photography. I played around (for way too long) with various online photo mapping features to achieve a great way to display travel or local photos.
July
Notable Canadians in Digital Media and Technology
Every Canada Day, I update my list of famous and influential people and companies in digital media. The list started out rather small, but has now grown to over 200.
August
Explorations of Place and Media - An Interview with Shawn Micallef
A leader in locative media, Shawn Micallef, answered my questions on his early forays into locative media, [murmur] to his recent Twitter collaboration with Toronto's public transit and his plans for the future.
September
Tips to Get a SSHRC Graduate Grant
Although this topic, on how to get government grants for PhD or Master's research isn't normally within the Webslinger mandate, this post (which I update every year) has gotten the most response and views.
October
On Location in Baltimore
I presented at a conference in Baltimore (during Hurricane Sandy) on a study I did on how people use location-based service. While in Baltimore and armed with a new mobile device (a "superphone"), I thus had a chance to use new locative functionalities to explore new places.
November
Mobile Devices Are Changing Our Lives
Time Magazine ran a cover story on how mobile devices are changing our lives. Despite the hyperbole that mobiles often engender, I offerred my suggestions on how they truly are changing our lives.
December
People Should Still Not Have to Think!
I got to meet one of the people who helped shaped my career, Steve Krug, the online usability god. I took pages of notes on his presentation and got him to autograph my copy of his landmark book, "Don't Make Me Think".
Although I never see to have enough time to blog as much as I would like (and have a backlog of topics to get to), I did blog the most I have in four years. More importantly, I find blogging to be the most rewarding professional and creative outlet.
Friday, December 28, 2012
Thursday, December 20, 2012
People Should Still Not Have to Think!
I attended a talk recently by usability expert Steve Krug. His book written in 2000 Don't Make Me Think helped convince me in the early days of my Internet career of the importance of usability and the need to study it. So I totally geeked out when I had the opportunity after all these years later to hear him speak in person. I grabbed his book from my shelf, next to my other treasured classics such as by Nielsen and Holzschlag, and hoped to get an autograph.
Krug was sponsored by University of Toronto's Association for Information Systems, who very kindly squeezed me into their full event at UofT's Faculty of Information. His talk addressed the continued need for usability testing and recent developments that make it easier than ever to do so.
Despite the passage of time since publication of his landmark book, Krug still asserts that too much digital media design is not user-friendly and consequently "if you're not usability testing you must be nuts".
Krug noted that in the past usability testing was difficult and expensive, so there could be an excuse to not do it. Usability tests were conducted in speciality labs that had the ability to record testers and had a private room separated by one-way glass to allow developers/designers to observe unobtrusively. The labs and test experts were very expensive. Most often, labs were offsite. It was also difficult to recruit testers as they needed to physically be in lab.
But advances over recent years have made it easy and inexpensive to do usability testing. Now screensharing technology and software that records software usage is cheap and easy to use. So usability testing sessions can be set up pretty much anywhere and then broadcast to development teams located anywhere with an Internet connection. Remote testing is also an attractive option, Krug suggested, as it makes recruiting testers much easier and not much essential info is lost in the process.
To demonstrate the ease of doing such a test, Krug organized a testing session on the spot. He tested the mobile application Clear.
As usability testing should be done not for "statistical validity but actionable insight" the power of his impromptu test was immediately apparent as the tester reached roadblocks in her usage. The tester was requested to express her thought processes out loud (i.e. think aloud protocol) as she used Clean and was able to clearly articulate her problem.
Within moments, the tester provided evidence of problems and direction for changes. It wasn't complicated, expensive, or time-consuming but the input gained would dramatically improve the application (and likely make them more money).
Krug six maxims for usability testing
I condensed the maxims as follows:
I asked Krug for some tips on testing mobile applications or sites. First, he noted that one can share their screen usage of a mobile device just as easily as a website (as witnessed by the Clear test session) so special video cameras to record mobile device usage are not necessary.
I also asked how one can overcome the difficulties of testing a mobile app or site in the context of use, particularly when the context is important - as with location based services. Krug offerred three points:
At the end of Krug's talk, I hesitantly took out my book to ask for his autograph. While waiting in line to talk to Krug, I noticed another person doing the same thing - for the same reason. I'm clearly not the only person who has found his advice tremendously useful and influential.
Krug was sponsored by University of Toronto's Association for Information Systems, who very kindly squeezed me into their full event at UofT's Faculty of Information. His talk addressed the continued need for usability testing and recent developments that make it easier than ever to do so.
Despite the passage of time since publication of his landmark book, Krug still asserts that too much digital media design is not user-friendly and consequently "if you're not usability testing you must be nuts".
Krug noted that in the past usability testing was difficult and expensive, so there could be an excuse to not do it. Usability tests were conducted in speciality labs that had the ability to record testers and had a private room separated by one-way glass to allow developers/designers to observe unobtrusively. The labs and test experts were very expensive. Most often, labs were offsite. It was also difficult to recruit testers as they needed to physically be in lab.
But advances over recent years have made it easy and inexpensive to do usability testing. Now screensharing technology and software that records software usage is cheap and easy to use. So usability testing sessions can be set up pretty much anywhere and then broadcast to development teams located anywhere with an Internet connection. Remote testing is also an attractive option, Krug suggested, as it makes recruiting testers much easier and not much essential info is lost in the process.
To demonstrate the ease of doing such a test, Krug organized a testing session on the spot. He tested the mobile application Clear.
As usability testing should be done not for "statistical validity but actionable insight" the power of his impromptu test was immediately apparent as the tester reached roadblocks in her usage. The tester was requested to express her thought processes out loud (i.e. think aloud protocol) as she used Clean and was able to clearly articulate her problem.
Within moments, the tester provided evidence of problems and direction for changes. It wasn't complicated, expensive, or time-consuming but the input gained would dramatically improve the application (and likely make them more money).
Krug six maxims for usability testing
I condensed the maxims as follows:
- Do usability testing (with 3 people) every month.
- Start testing earlier in a project than you think (e.g. test prototypes or competitors products).
- Recruit loosely and grade on a curve (i.e. don't get so hung up about finding the ideal target user that you don't test as frequently).
- Make usability testing a spectator sport (i.e. invite as many people from the team to observe testing sessions together as "usability testing is the ultimate way to resolve debates around design issues").
- Prioritize findings - you'll uncover a lot of problems so identify the top three problem by participant.
- Tweaks are better than redesign.
I asked Krug for some tips on testing mobile applications or sites. First, he noted that one can share their screen usage of a mobile device just as easily as a website (as witnessed by the Clear test session) so special video cameras to record mobile device usage are not necessary.
I also asked how one can overcome the difficulties of testing a mobile app or site in the context of use, particularly when the context is important - as with location based services. Krug offerred three points:
- How important is the context? Is it essential functionality? If not, testing in context may not be that crucial.
- How realistic does the context need to be, that is can it be simulated?
- Even if context is crucial, there is still tremendous value testing anywhere as problems will still be uncovered.
At the end of Krug's talk, I hesitantly took out my book to ask for his autograph. While waiting in line to talk to Krug, I noticed another person doing the same thing - for the same reason. I'm clearly not the only person who has found his advice tremendously useful and influential.
Monday, December 17, 2012
Learn How to Use Digital Media Strategically
A few years ago, I was managing a website for a financial services company and wanted to take courses to improve my ability to use online communications effectively and strategically. I also wanted courses geared towards those managing online media, but the programs I found in the Toronto area covered mostly the technical (i.e. programming or development) or design elements.
I ended up taking the e-Business program at University of Toronto's School for Continuing Studies. At the time, it was the only such program in the Greater Toronto Area.
Although it was a good program, e-Business tends to deal mostly with the infrastructure and business processes required to have a business online.
Educational programs on digital media management are expanding, but I still find that there is not much with a marketing, communications, strategy, and operations focus.
So I was really excited to hear from a colleague, Eden Spodek, that she in conjunction with other experienced professionals will be launching a certificate program in Digital Strategy and Communications Management with the University of Toronto's School of Continuing Education in 2013.
The Digital Strategy and Communications Management certificate program aims to help professionals "make sense of the digital and social media landscape" and to learn to use new and emerging digital media for organizational goals.
Classes start January 2013 consists of three required courses taken consecutively:
Eden adds, "We anticipate there will be a lot of two-way mentoring between students because they will have different levels of experience. For example, most digital natives will be familiar with the tools but won’t necessarily know how to develop a strategy. More seasoned practitioners may not be as comfortable with the tools yet may have a lot of experience developing communications and marketing strategies. These two groups will have a lot to learn from and share with each other."
All the courses are offerred at University of Toronto's St. George campus. But it is possible that online courses may be offerred in the future. As Eden states, “U of T's School of Continuing Studies considered an online version from the beginning and development is likely to begin following the pilot of the first course.”
I ended up taking the e-Business program at University of Toronto's School for Continuing Studies. At the time, it was the only such program in the Greater Toronto Area.
Although it was a good program, e-Business tends to deal mostly with the infrastructure and business processes required to have a business online.
Educational programs on digital media management are expanding, but I still find that there is not much with a marketing, communications, strategy, and operations focus.
So I was really excited to hear from a colleague, Eden Spodek, that she in conjunction with other experienced professionals will be launching a certificate program in Digital Strategy and Communications Management with the University of Toronto's School of Continuing Education in 2013.
The Digital Strategy and Communications Management certificate program aims to help professionals "make sense of the digital and social media landscape" and to learn to use new and emerging digital media for organizational goals.
Classes start January 2013 consists of three required courses taken consecutively:
- Foundations in Digital Communications Strategy and Social Media
- Social on the Inside: Internal Communications On and Offline
- Advanced Practices in Digital Reputation Management
- Integrate digital, social and mobile platforms into a strategic approach to communications management
- Develop and implement goal-oriented and outcome-based measurement and evaluation techniques to communications strategy and tactics
- Use social and digital channels to strategically engage management, employees, partners and suppliers to develop and maintain relationships built on trust
- Develop creative, measurable and relevant digital and social media plans and strategies that blend earned, owned and paid components and leverage analytics to demonstrate ROI
Eden adds, "We anticipate there will be a lot of two-way mentoring between students because they will have different levels of experience. For example, most digital natives will be familiar with the tools but won’t necessarily know how to develop a strategy. More seasoned practitioners may not be as comfortable with the tools yet may have a lot of experience developing communications and marketing strategies. These two groups will have a lot to learn from and share with each other."
All the courses are offerred at University of Toronto's St. George campus. But it is possible that online courses may be offerred in the future. As Eden states, “U of T's School of Continuing Studies considered an online version from the beginning and development is likely to begin following the pilot of the first course.”
Friday, November 30, 2012
Climb for Change Launches First Online Fundraising Site for Charity Climbs
Working with non-profit organizations, I am familiar with what a challenge online fundraising and e-commerce can be for an organization that doesn't have the specialization or budget to launch such services. I was really excited to learn today that a friend's organization, Climb For Change, had recently launched the first online platform to help support people climbing a mountain, trekking, or hiking for charity. I thought I'd share more on their efforts from their press release:
Climb For Change campaign sites make fundraising for a cause easier, more engaging, fun and successful because they're catered specifically to people and teams wanting to raise money for charity using climbing, trekking, hiking or adventures to do so. Thousands of people worldwide challenge themselves with fundraising climbs each year. Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro for charity for example is particularly effective, with teams often raising money in the $100,000 to $500,000 range. This is impressive fundraising, but does take a lot of time, resources and the right tools. Enter Climb For Change.
"People want to have their own story and brand represented on their campaign site," says Chantal Schauch, VP and co-founder of Climb For Change. "They want more than the simple mass market fundraising pages and don't have the time or money to spend on a custom fundraising website."
"We developed the platform based on our own experience doing charity climbs up Mt. Kilimanjaro and Pico de Orizaba," says co-founder and president Mike Schauch. "We realized a need - a story and fundraising hub for people climbing for a cause."
Founded by the Schauchs - the husband and wife duo from Vancouver, Canada - the Climb For Change community started in 2010, and has since shared resources, tips and stories inspired by thousands of charity climbs and adventures from around the world.
With the new online fundraising tool for climbers now available, campaigns that have already signed on include Mount Kilimanjaro charity climbs by two American climbing teams for the American Foundation For Children with Aids, an Aconcagua charity climb for the Boston Area Rape Crisis Center, and a Canadian fundraising campaign supporting the education of Himalayan Children in Nepal.
The Climb For Change fundraising platform is ideal for charity climbs raising a minimum of $2,500 for US, Canadian or UK registered charities. Visit Climb For Change Campaigns to start a fundraising campaign.
For more info visit Climb For Change.
Climb For Change campaign sites make fundraising for a cause easier, more engaging, fun and successful because they're catered specifically to people and teams wanting to raise money for charity using climbing, trekking, hiking or adventures to do so. Thousands of people worldwide challenge themselves with fundraising climbs each year. Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro for charity for example is particularly effective, with teams often raising money in the $100,000 to $500,000 range. This is impressive fundraising, but does take a lot of time, resources and the right tools. Enter Climb For Change.
"People want to have their own story and brand represented on their campaign site," says Chantal Schauch, VP and co-founder of Climb For Change. "They want more than the simple mass market fundraising pages and don't have the time or money to spend on a custom fundraising website."
"We developed the platform based on our own experience doing charity climbs up Mt. Kilimanjaro and Pico de Orizaba," says co-founder and president Mike Schauch. "We realized a need - a story and fundraising hub for people climbing for a cause."
Founded by the Schauchs - the husband and wife duo from Vancouver, Canada - the Climb For Change community started in 2010, and has since shared resources, tips and stories inspired by thousands of charity climbs and adventures from around the world.
With the new online fundraising tool for climbers now available, campaigns that have already signed on include Mount Kilimanjaro charity climbs by two American climbing teams for the American Foundation For Children with Aids, an Aconcagua charity climb for the Boston Area Rape Crisis Center, and a Canadian fundraising campaign supporting the education of Himalayan Children in Nepal.
The Climb For Change fundraising platform is ideal for charity climbs raising a minimum of $2,500 for US, Canadian or UK registered charities. Visit Climb For Change Campaigns to start a fundraising campaign.
For more info visit Climb For Change.
Thursday, November 29, 2012
Interested in Starting Canadian Chapter of the Internet Society?
Over the past couple years I have been interested in starting a Canadian and/or an Ontario Chapter of the Internet Society.
The Internet Society is an international, non-profit organization devoted to making the "Internet for everyone". They do this through chapter work promoting standards (e.g. IPV6), facilitating global access particularly in developing countries, advising and arguing for policy that supports the open nature of the Internet, and other related work.
Currently, the Internet Society is reaching out to Canadians to help organize a national chapter and/or provincial chapters - currently there is only a Quebec chapter.
If you are interested in helping start any of these chapters Internet Society, you can start by becoming a member. It's free and quick to do.
The Internet Society also has a short survey that they are asking interested Canadians to fill out as expressions of interest.
Please consider joining and filling out the short survey before Dec 16, 2012 to help get chapters here.
The Internet Society is an international, non-profit organization devoted to making the "Internet for everyone". They do this through chapter work promoting standards (e.g. IPV6), facilitating global access particularly in developing countries, advising and arguing for policy that supports the open nature of the Internet, and other related work.
Currently, the Internet Society is reaching out to Canadians to help organize a national chapter and/or provincial chapters - currently there is only a Quebec chapter.
If you are interested in helping start any of these chapters Internet Society, you can start by becoming a member. It's free and quick to do.
The Internet Society also has a short survey that they are asking interested Canadians to fill out as expressions of interest.
Please consider joining and filling out the short survey before Dec 16, 2012 to help get chapters here.
Thursday, November 22, 2012
Note to Location-Based Services - You Suck!
I moved to a new neighbourhood a few weeks ago and I'm directionally challenged at the best of times. So when I found myself lost a couple nights ago in a strange part of town (all the Danforth is strange) I thought it'd be location-based services to the rescue. How wrong I was. Four separate location-based services let me down.
Yes, I could have easily asked someone for directions, but the lesson drilled into my from childhood has me reluctant to talk to strangers - and I was determined dammit to use my mobile device (after all this is my research area)!
I was headed to a pick up a package from the Canada Post at a new Shoppers Drug Mart. I knew the major intersection - Danforth and Pape - so I got out at the correct subway station. But as I walked to where I thought the Shoppers would be, I was checking my mobile device and walked past the store without knowing it. Mobile device usage and walking is probably almost as bad as texting and driving, but so far I haven't had too serious of accidents (aside from walking into a few posts and dog poo). I should learn my lesson though.
After walking for over 20 minutes and not noticing that I had come to the Shoppers yet, I finally looked up from my mobile device and figured out that I had no idea where I was.
So I figured my trusty, new mobile device would help me! How wrong I was...
First, I tried Google Navigation. It correctly determined my location and even the direction I was headed (which was helpful as I was walking the opposite direction than I thought I was), but it couldn't help me locate the store. As I never considered that I had passed it without noticing, I figured something more odd had occurred.
So I tried Google Local they could locate where I was but didn't have any Shoppers locations listed as near me when I searched. (In hindsight, the two Google apps probably use much of the same back-end so a failure in one is bound to be the same in another.)
Starting to get desperate, I tried Foursquare. I mostly use Foursquare for their geosocial networking functionality, so I haven't really tried their newish "Explore" functionality. There was no point in trying it though. Foursquare also correctly located me but insisted that the nearest Shoppers Drug Mart was about an hour public transit ride away. No other Shoppers Drug Mart came up in a search of their database, despite the fact that I had previously checked into other Shoppers' location (and was once the mayor of the Forest Hill one).
I'm not a big fan of the mobile web, but I figured I'd give that a try.
At this point, I'd been standing in the cold November weather for about half an hour and my fingers were going numb. I was thinking those gloves that you can get to use your mobile device in the winter weren't such a bad idea after all and probably worth the price. (Great Christmas gift idea for your friendly lost-in-the neighbourhood Webslinger.)
So I searched Google on the Chrome browser for Shoppers and Danforth and nothing returned (despite their numerous stores on the Danforth). I went to Shoppers' website and tried their store locater functionality. ;It didn't work and it is almost impossible to use. It correctly located me, but it said the nearest store was incredibly far from me. Also, their map feature wouldn't display and the phone numbers couldn't be dialed or even really clearly seen.
Then, I remember the Yellow Pages app that I had on my Blackberry and had such great luck. Well, a search for Shoppers (in its various forms) turned up no locations near me.
At this point, I gave up and started to walk home. I did find that direction from Google Navigation. To my great surprise, I found the Shoppers right near the subway station.
Okay, how is it so hard for four mobile apps to not be able to execute basic functionality. If they can't get the location part of location based services right they are rather useless. I'm also puzzled at how so few Shoppers locations came up when I searched.
I tried the same search from my home again tonight and they all worked except for Foursquare and Shoppers' mobile webpage (which is indeed impossible to use).
Apparently, the other apps haven't heard of fuzzy search as if one types in Shoppers but not Shopppers Drug Mart they get the problematic results. (I thought for sure I tried various name combinations - but I won't rule out human error, as it surely wouldn't be the first time). Still, why would a shortened version of the name pull up some results but not others?
So I'm still convinced that although location-based services have a lot of promise - I still assert that - THEY SUCK!
(Buy me the gloves and I'll forgive you.)
Yes, I could have easily asked someone for directions, but the lesson drilled into my from childhood has me reluctant to talk to strangers - and I was determined dammit to use my mobile device (after all this is my research area)!
I was headed to a pick up a package from the Canada Post at a new Shoppers Drug Mart. I knew the major intersection - Danforth and Pape - so I got out at the correct subway station. But as I walked to where I thought the Shoppers would be, I was checking my mobile device and walked past the store without knowing it. Mobile device usage and walking is probably almost as bad as texting and driving, but so far I haven't had too serious of accidents (aside from walking into a few posts and dog poo). I should learn my lesson though.
After walking for over 20 minutes and not noticing that I had come to the Shoppers yet, I finally looked up from my mobile device and figured out that I had no idea where I was.
So I figured my trusty, new mobile device would help me! How wrong I was...
First, I tried Google Navigation. It correctly determined my location and even the direction I was headed (which was helpful as I was walking the opposite direction than I thought I was), but it couldn't help me locate the store. As I never considered that I had passed it without noticing, I figured something more odd had occurred.
So I tried Google Local they could locate where I was but didn't have any Shoppers locations listed as near me when I searched. (In hindsight, the two Google apps probably use much of the same back-end so a failure in one is bound to be the same in another.)
Starting to get desperate, I tried Foursquare. I mostly use Foursquare for their geosocial networking functionality, so I haven't really tried their newish "Explore" functionality. There was no point in trying it though. Foursquare also correctly located me but insisted that the nearest Shoppers Drug Mart was about an hour public transit ride away. No other Shoppers Drug Mart came up in a search of their database, despite the fact that I had previously checked into other Shoppers' location (and was once the mayor of the Forest Hill one).
I'm not a big fan of the mobile web, but I figured I'd give that a try.
At this point, I'd been standing in the cold November weather for about half an hour and my fingers were going numb. I was thinking those gloves that you can get to use your mobile device in the winter weren't such a bad idea after all and probably worth the price. (Great Christmas gift idea for your friendly lost-in-the neighbourhood Webslinger.)
So I searched Google on the Chrome browser for Shoppers and Danforth and nothing returned (despite their numerous stores on the Danforth). I went to Shoppers' website and tried their store locater functionality. ;It didn't work and it is almost impossible to use. It correctly located me, but it said the nearest store was incredibly far from me. Also, their map feature wouldn't display and the phone numbers couldn't be dialed or even really clearly seen.
Then, I remember the Yellow Pages app that I had on my Blackberry and had such great luck. Well, a search for Shoppers (in its various forms) turned up no locations near me.
At this point, I gave up and started to walk home. I did find that direction from Google Navigation. To my great surprise, I found the Shoppers right near the subway station.
Okay, how is it so hard for four mobile apps to not be able to execute basic functionality. If they can't get the location part of location based services right they are rather useless. I'm also puzzled at how so few Shoppers locations came up when I searched.
I tried the same search from my home again tonight and they all worked except for Foursquare and Shoppers' mobile webpage (which is indeed impossible to use).
Apparently, the other apps haven't heard of fuzzy search as if one types in Shoppers but not Shopppers Drug Mart they get the problematic results. (I thought for sure I tried various name combinations - but I won't rule out human error, as it surely wouldn't be the first time). Still, why would a shortened version of the name pull up some results but not others?
So I'm still convinced that although location-based services have a lot of promise - I still assert that - THEY SUCK!
(Buy me the gloves and I'll forgive you.)
Saturday, November 17, 2012
Online Research: New Challenges and Opportunities
I delivered a guest lecture this week on online research - both online methodology and researching online phenomena. Below are the slides from my presentation and a coding exercise of online discourse I had the students do.
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